K-9 Chopper, protector of pack, lover of apples, dies at 16

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office waved a tearful goodbye Monday to a long-time friend and co-worker. Chopper, the department’s longest living K-9, passed away at age16.

“We were his pack,” said Chopper’s owner and handler Correctional Officer Stacey Toy, who was by her partner’s side when he was euthanized. “He cared for us, and we cared for him.”

Over 50 human officers and 8 K-9 officers gathered to celebrate Chopper’s life at his send-off service at the Auburn Jail Monday. Attendees saluted Chopper as he was carried on a gurney by Placer County Sheriff Honor Guard Deputy Ron Evans and Jamie DeNardi, Toy’s husband, before heading to the veterinary clinic. On a nearby table, sat a basket of apples in honor of his love of the fruit.

The German shepherd mix was euthanized after the send-off due to serious complications from a form of degenerative myopathy, a painful and debilitating condition.

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